Overhead trolley system



Dec. 2, 1941.

R. R. HOLDEN 2,264,839

OVERHEAD TROLLEY SYSTEM Filed Nov. 13, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 2, 1941. R. R. HOLDEN 2,264, 39 I OVERHEAD TROLLEY SYSTEM Filed Nov. 13, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 2, 1941 OVERHEAD TROLLEY SYSTEM Richard Roy Holden, deceased, late of Highland Park, 111., by Bertha Belle Holden, executrix, Highland Park, 111., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Ohio Brass Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application November 13, 1936, Serial No. 110,669

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to an automatically operated selective trolley switch of a type particularly applicable for use with trolley wire systems in which a positive and a negative or grounded wire are used.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an automatic switch which will direct the current-collecting members attached to the trolley poles of a trolley bus or other vehicle so that the trolley poles and the thereto attached current-collecting members will automatically, and without any attention on the part of the operator of the vehicle, follow the vehicle along a main line or into a branch line at an angle thereto.

Another object of the invention is to utilize the relative position of the current-collecting members such as trolley shoes or wheels, carried by a vehicle, thereby selectively to predetermine the position that is to be assumed by the individual switching means coupled with additional means for locking them in the preselected position so that they will not subsequently be disturbed until after the current-collecting shoes or wheels have traversed the entire switch and have cleared the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide automatic switching means for predetermining the position that is to be assumed by switching tongues contained in a pair of automatic switches, intended to direct the current-collecting members attached to the vehicle by means of trolley poles, in the desired direction.

Other objects will appear from a detailed description and from the drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top view of the electrically operated automatic switch of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detailed cross section on anenlarged scale taken along the lines 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross section on an enlarged scale along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the switching system clearly illustrating the electrical circuits which may be employed to cause its actuation;

Fig. 5 is a top view of the electromagnetic coils and their armatures which are used to control the various levers that switch the tongues of the switch into the selected position;

Fig. 6 is a view on the same scale as Fig. 5, partly in section, taken along the line 8-6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the switch-locking mechanism shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

individual. detail in connection with the descrip- 'tion orthe switching me hanism and its mo e-0 operation.

In the operation of trackless trolleys or trolley buses-itis customary to employ two overhead suspended wires of opposite polarity. In any event, the purposeis to conductthe current through-one wire to the vehicle that :isto be operated by-the current, the return circuit being through the opposite wire.

This, therefore, differs from the ordinary trolley car system in which therails, properly bonded, are depended. upon for completi g the circuit. In. trolley car systems only a single conductin wire is necessary, thisusually being arranged'directly-over the center of the railway. In trolley car systems it has also been customary toemploy as a current-collectingimember .a. trolley wheel or shoe supported on a rigid harpwhich is attached to the free end of a trolley pole, which latter is attached to the top of acar in the well-known manner. Such fixed harps could .be employed on trolley cars as the :latter run over a definite route determined by the tracks. On the other hand, a trolleyibus follows no fixed path, but may be guided where desired by the operator within a certain distance to each side of the :trolley wires.

It therefore was found necessary in :this art in the case of trolley buses to employ current collectors which contact the under side of the wire and which are ,carried by harps that are freely connected in swivel fashion to 'the trolley poles themselves. These .poles also are preferably much longer than isthe case with ordinary trolley .cars that run on rails, :being generally about 18 .feet in length. They are attached to the top .of the trolley bus at .points which are usually about two feet apart as the wiresalsoare usually two =feet apart.

'Thus, trolley buses maybe constructed .with a base on the top thereof on which two trolley poles are mounted to swing about two fixed transversely aligned points which are usually about two feet apart. With this arrangement the trolley poles may be swung-about their fixed points and the shoes will stay in contact with and slide along their respective wires even when the bus is off to one side-of the wires. Hence when the bus is'moving parallel. tothe wires the poles will remain parallel, being the same distance apart at their bases as at their points-of contact with the wires. If the bus, however, is at an angle-tothe wiresthat is tosay, if it is These figures will hereinafter be discussed. in moving toward or away fromthe vertical planes in which the wires lie-it will readily be understood that the outside pole relative to the curve which the vehicle is describing will be in advance of the other along a line that is at right angles to the wires themselves.

Prior to the present invention, trolley bus systems with switches therein have been employed which, when a trolley bus was passing thereunder, required a certain amount of attention and action on the part of the bus driver, particularly when passing through switches. In one type of such switches the movable switching member is electrically thrown in accordance with whether or not the operator of the bus has the motor of the vehicle either on or off as he passes a certain point, depending upon whether he wishes to turn or go straight ahead. In accordance with my present invention, however, it is not necessary for the driver of the vehicle in any way to pay attention to the overhead fittings, but he may direct his entire attention to the steering of the bus through traffic and, if he makes a turn in the same manner as other non-electrically driven vehicles may be turning, he can be as sured that the current collectors will be switched to the branch line and will hence properly trail the vehicle so as to keep its power supply unimpaired. It will readily be appreciated that this presents a very great advantage.

In the prior art in which poles having rigid harps were employed, automatic switches were known in which the side pressure of the rim of the wheel would actuate the switches so that in making a turn the pole would take the branch line in preference to the straight-way current:

conductor. In the case of swivel harps, such as are necessary in trolley bus operation, it would be obvious that the side pull upon the current collectors could not be depended upon to throw switches because this side pull is applied every time the vehicle passes to the right or left of the current-conducting wires, as it must do when weaving its way through trafiic, and particularly when running to the edge of the sidewalk to pick up or discharge passengers.

The problem in connection with trolley buses, therefore, is totally different from the problems which confront operators of vehicles which run on rails.

In such of the prior art switching means inwhich the position of the switch was determined by the driver, he naturally had to be very careful as to when he had his power on or off when approaching a turnout or curve, or at any other point where he desired to change the position of the switch in accordance with the way he wanted to go. In heavy city trafiic where pedestrians are continually crossing in front of vehicles at intersections, anything which will divert the drivers attention from his job of preventing collisions is highly dangerous not only to himself and his vehicle but also to those who are crossing the street. It will therefore be obvious that any invention that will automatically take care of the switching of the current-collecting mem-.

bers of a trolley bus greatly contributes to the safety of operation of such vehicles.

The fundamental principles underlying the present invention are broadly disclosed in applicants copending application Serial No. 733,708, filed July 5, 1934, and entitled Overhead trolley system.

The principle upon which the present invention isbased is equally applicable to a mechanically or an electrically operated device. In each case advantage is taken of the fact that the position of the current collectors at the end of the trolley poles of a trolley bus, when it is proceeding in a direction substantially parallel to the suspended current-conducting wires, is such that the two current collectors are substantially opposite each other along a line drawn at right angles to the wires, this being true even though the bus is at a considerable distance to one side of the wires. However, when the bus assumes a position which is not parallel to the conduct ing wires as, for example, when turning a corner, one of the current collectors will be in advance of the other and their relative longitudinal position will be altered. As the bus turns, the pole which is on the far side of the turn,-for example the left-hand side of the bus when the bus is describing a right-hand turn,--will immediately assume a position which (relative to a line drawn at right angles across the wires) will be in advance of the other pole. Therefore it will be possible, by suitable devices about to be described, to secure a differential effect which is brought about by contact of the current-collecting members with various instrumentalities mounted on or adjacent the wires, these instrumentalities being operated in one sense when they are contacted substantially simultaneously on both of the wires and operated in a difierent sense when the contact takes place successively on one wire relative to the other.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a pair of switches and the actuating mechanism therefor in conjunction with a positive current-conducting wire i5 and a negative current-conducting wire l5. While in the drawings one of the wires is shown as the positive and the other as the negative, it makes no difference which is which so long as the wires are of opposite polarity. Peened about the wire I5 is an approach I4 having a bolt I! extending upwardly from the inner end thereof to support at some distance immediately above the wire a wooden insulating member I6, which may be made of other insulating material, although wood is preferable.

Secured to this wooden insulating member [6 there is a downwardly depending metal contact strip 18. This strip is movably supported below the wooden insulating member at a point closely adjacent the wire l5, this distance being such that a current-collecting member, passing along the wire I5, will engage the contact strip 18 and move it slightly away from the wire so that the current-collecting member may pass between the contact strip [8 and the wire. The ends of the contact strip R8 are bent outwardly away from the wire.

A pair of supporting members, which are preferably attached to the contact strip l8 adjacent the ends thereof, resiliently hold the contact strip I 8 in position adjacent the wire. These supporting members will now be described. Each comprises a suitable clamp I9, screw 20, and bolt 2!. Attached to the clamp H? by the bolt 2i or other desirable means is an upright bracket 22. This bracket is provided with a pivot, such as a pin 24, about which is mounted a bell-crank-shaped member comprising a vertical arm 23 and a horizontal arm 24'. The contact strip [8 is fixedly connected to the lower end of the arms 23 of a pair of brackets by welding or other suitable means, and a compression spring 25 positioned between the insulating member I6 and the free end of the arm 26" resiliently holdsthe contact strip l8 adjacent th -wire I5.

An-adjustment screw- 25 passes through-a suitable opening in the arm 23, there being a nut 21 and a lock nut 28 which will determine the extreme limit to which the arm 23 and strip 18 may approach the wire as shown in Fig. 2. Attached to the'arrn 24' there is a current-conducting wire 29 which is connected to solenoids as hereinafter described. When a current-collecting member at the end of the trolley pole sliding along the wire engages the contact strip l8, contact will be established between the wire l5 and conductor 29 through the current collector, contact strip l8, and arms 23 and 24. While vI have described one form of supporting member which is satisfactory, other types may be employed for holding the contact strip i8 adjacent' the conducting wires l5 and I5.

As will be seen from Fig. l, the positive wire 15 has one of the contact strips l8 arranged a considerable distance in back of the switching mechanism, which will later be considered in detail. Substantially opposite the contact member just described there is a second contact member constructed in exactly the same way but mounted on the negative or return wire it. A similar contact device is also mounted on negative wire H3 in a position to the right of the first men- 'tioned member and somewhat nearer the actual switching mechanism. For convenience in designating the various contact members, the expedient has been adopted of marking the single contact device on the positive wire it by the letter A and the two contact devices on the negative wire !5 by the letters B and 0, respectively. Similar markings are also applied to Fig. 4, which shows the electrical connections or circuit diagram.

At the right-hand side of Fig. 1 there may be seen the actual switching mechanism which comprises two identical electrically operated switches D, E. Inasmuch as these are identical, it will be necessary to describe only one of them, and the switch D has been chosen for this purpose. Each switch includes a main runner l, two branch runners 2 and 3 spaced therefrom, and a movable tongue 3! for connecting the main runner with either of the branch runners. On the upper side of the switch there is provided switching mechanism which, when actuated, moves the movable tongue to either position. Dead-end approaches 4 and 5 are connected to the runners I, 2, and 3, and serve to connect the trolley wires to the switches.

As shown in the drawings, a housing which protects the switching mechanism against the weather has been removed so that the interior may be seen. Three solenoids may be employed in the switching mechanism, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Two of these solenoids 33 and 3d, as will be hereinafter explained, serve to move the movable switching tongue 3! to either straight line or curve position. The third solenoid actuates locking mechanism to prevent unintended movement of the tongue 3!. The movable tongue 3! is fixedly mounted on rotatable pole 39 so that it mayassume either the position shown in solid lines .in Fig. 5 or that shown in dotted lines. When in the position shown in solid lines the switch is set to direct the current-collecting member into the branch line I), while when it is in the position shown in the dotted lines it is set to carry the current-collecting member along the main line 122. vAn iron member 32, comprising two arms 32a and 32b which-are at a slight angle to each other, is fixedly mounted between the arms 32a and 32bto the post 39. The two arms 32a'and 32b act as armatures for the solenoids 33 and 34, respectively. These two arms are at a slight angle to each other so that when one-of them lies closely adjacent its solenoid the other is at a short distance from its solenoid. Thus, movement of the double armature 32 will rotate pole 3t and thereby move the tongue 3! to either of its positions.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the arm 3% has been drawn to magnet 34. This movement has resulted from the passag of current through electromagnet 3 2. In order to keep the arm 32b in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 5 or in the other operative position, there is also a latching means which may comprise an upstanding pin 35 on the arm 32a and a therewith cooperating movable lever 36 which is pivotally supported at 31. The arm 36 is under the control of a magnet 38 which can be clearly seen in Figs. 5 and 6. Attached to the free end of arm 36 is a locking member 36a having a central projecting portion 3617, as shown in Fig. 7. When in locked position with the arm 36 away from magnet 33, the pin 35 is maintained to one side or the other of the projecting portion 351). When arm, 36 is pulled by the magnet 33, it will temporarily release the pin 35 so as to permit movement of the switching arm 32 to which the tongu 35 is fixedly connected. Any other suitable locking mechanism can be employed which is electrical or mechanical. The branch and main lines I) and m are secured to the dead-end approaches 5 and 5'.

Referring for the moment to Fig. 5, it will there be seen that the tongue 31 is in the position where it will direct the current collector so that it will slide from the wire I5 onto the runner 3 which is connected to the branch I). The arm 32b is contacted with magnet 36 and is held in position by the cooperation of the pin 35 with the lever 35. If, however. it is desired that the collector take the course which will direct it to the main wire in, then by suitable electric connections, to be described later, the tongue 3! can be swung into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5 by energizing momentarily the magnets 38 and 33. The magnet 38 will cause a movement of the lever 36 which will therefore release its hold on the pin 35, while at the same time the magnet 33 will be energized, thereby pulling the arm 32a toward magnet 33 and moving the tongue 3| so that it will then be in alignment with runner 2 and the main line m. As soon as magnet 38 is (la-energized, the compression spring 39 will return the lever 35 to the predetermined position, thus again locking the mechanism so that the tongue will not be subject to physical displacement except when desired and under the influence of the currents going through the various magnetic coils.

The operation of the device can best be understood from a study of Fig. 4, which is purely diagrammatic and extremely simplified, so that the course of current can be more accurately understood. Assuming for the moment that the bus is proceeding in the direction shown by the arrow, namely, from left to right, and that it is proceeding in a straight direction and is not trying to make a turn, under those circumstances it will be self-evident that the contact shoes which are sliding along underneath the wires I5 and i5 will be substantially transversely aligned and will make contactfirst with the contactshoes A and B. It will be noticed that the contact shoe A is slightly nearer the switches than the contact shoe B, although this is not necessary. If the current collectors are thus aligned, then by reason of the connections shown in Fig. 4 the travel of the current from the positive to the negative side will be as follows: from the wire l5 through the contact shoe of the trolley bus (not shown) to the contact member A, then along the wire d (29) and through the coil 6 of the electromagnet 38, through the wire 1 to the coil 9 of the electromagnet 38 of the switch mounted on the negative wire I5, through the wires h and z to the coil 7' of the electromagnet 33, through the wire k, the electromagnet 33 and the wire Z to the contact B and thence through the other current-collecting member to the negative or grounded trolley wire I5. Therefore magnets 38 and 38 and magnets 33 and 33 will become energized. Under the pull of magnets 38 and 38', the armatures 36 and 36' will be pulled toward the core of the said magnets, while under the influence of the magnetic flux in the coils 33 and 33 the movable arms 32a and 32a will be pulled into substantial contact with the cores of the said latter two magnets 33 and 33'. By reason of the rigid and pivotal attachment of the tongues 3| and 3|, these tongues, if in the dotted position of Fig. 4, will be swung into the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 4, so that they therefore are in straight alignment with runner 2 and the main line m. Therefore, when the bus continues in a straight path the current-collecting members sliding along the wires l5 and I5 will pass straight under the switch and will continue uninterruptedly along the main line.

If, however, the bus has to make a left-hand turn, for example, then by reason of the turning movement of the vehicle the current collector on the right-hand side of the vehicle, and hence on the outside of the curve which is sliding along the negative wire l 5, will be in advance of the other current collector on the opposite pole which is sliding along the positive wire l5. Thus, even though the switch might have been actuated in the manner just described in the preceding paragraph, the two current-collecting members on the respective trolley poles will then be in contact with shoes A and C, instead of with shoes A and B. The circuit therefore will be entirely diiferent. So far as the current flowing from the shoe A is concerned, this, of course, will be the same as before described, namely, from A through the wires (2, f and it. However, it will be noticed that the wires h and 2' have a branch line n which leads to the coil of the electromagnet 34. Hence the current will flow through coil 0 and along the wire 71 to a similar coil 34 on the opposite switch, and from said coil through the wire q to the contact shoe C and then through the current collector in contact therewith to the negative wire l. It will thus be seen that, while the unlatching magnets 38 and 38 will have pulled their respective armatures 36 and 36' so as to permit movement of the armature member 32, it will then be the magnets 34 and 34' which will pull the arms 32b and 32b toward the magnets 34 and 34'. In this case the arms 32 and 32' will assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 and will swing the tongues 3| and 3! into alignment with the branch line b, 1). Therefore, when the currentcollecting members which are sliding along the wires and I5 get to the switch, they will be turned out so that they will be directed to slide along the wires 1), b which are those of the branch line and hence will follow the bus around a curve. It is to be noted that current will flow through the switches to actuate them only when one of the current-collecting members engages contact strip A, and the other current collector engages at the same time either constant strip B or 0. Also by altering the length and the relative position of the contacts the operation of the switches may be controlled. For instance, if contact C (Fig. 4) is separated a greater distance from contact A, a greater turning of the bus will be necessary to cause the switch tongues to be actuated to curve position.

It is believed that the correct operation of the device will be fully understood from the above description. It merely remains to mention in connection with Fig. 1 that the switches and supporting mechanisms for the two wires are kept at the proper distance apart by means of insulating strains S and S. These, of course, must be made of insulating material to prevent short circuiting of the positive Wire from the wire I5 to the negative wire l5. The usual guys and pull-ofis are employed for supporting the whole structure. It will be seen from the description that the pres ent invention automatically provides for the proper switching of the current-collecting members at the ends of the trolley poles without any attention on the part of the operator and merely under the natural influence of the position assumed by the trolley poles due to the changed position of the vehicle itself.

The switches described herein and their equivalents are designed to be used in a double-conductor system along with curves, frogs, and crossovers, and other desirable fittings to form a complete system which may be entirely automatic in operation.

While a single embodiment of the above invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that various changes therein may be made. Thus, for example, other types of electrical switching mechanisms and the locking mechanisms therefor may be employed. The wiring circuits may be altered and the contact strips may be differently supported and arranged.

What is broadly sought to be covered herein is a pair of switches which is actuated by electrical energy in accordance with the relative longitudinal position of the current collectors carried by a vehicle when adjacent said switches so that the current collectors automatically follow the trolley wires under which the vehicle travels.

What is claimed is:

1. In a switching system for a pair of current collectors mounted on a vehicle, a pair of main trolley wires of opposite polarity and a branch wire for each main wire, a trolley frog at the intersection of each main and branch wire to guide a current collector 0n the vehicle either along the main wire or on to the branch wire, each frog provided with a movable tongue forming the guiding means for said current collectors, electrically operated mechanism for each tongue, each mechanism being provided with two operating coils for moving the tongues in opposite directions, control means for one coil of each of said mechanisms comprising contact devices located adjacent the main trolley wires so as to be electrically connected to their respective trolley wires by the passage of said current collectors therealong, the position of said contact devices relative to one another longitudinally of the trolley wires and the connection between said devices and the last mentioned coilsibeing such that the said last mentioned coils willibe energized to move the tongues in one direction, only'when the current collectors of the bus are in a predetermined position longitudinally of themain trolley wires relative to one another and to the contact devices as the collectors pass the contact devices, said longitudinal position of the current collectors varying with the angularity of the trolley bus with respectto the said main trolley wires and means to energize the other coil of each mechanism to move each'tongue in the other direction.

2. In a switching system for a pair of current collectors mounted on a vehicle, a pair of main trolley wires of opposite polarity and a branch wire for each main wire, a trolley frog at the intersection of each main and branch wire to guide a current collector on the vehicle either along the main wireor on to the branch wire, each frog provided with a, movable tongue forming the guiding means for said current collectors, electrically operated mechanism for one of said tongues, said mechanism including two operating coils for moving said tongues in opposite directions, control means for one coil of said mechanism comprising contact devices located adjacent the main trolley wires so as to be electrically connected to their respective trolley wires by the passage of said current collectors therealong, the position of said contact devices relative to one another longitudinally of the trolley wires and the connection between said devices and the last mentioned coilbeing such that the said last mentioned coil will be energized to move the said one tongue in one direction, only when the current collectors of the bus are in a predetermined position longitudinally of the main trolley wires relative to one another and to the contact devices as the collectors pass the contact devices, said longitudinal position of the current collectors varying with the angularity of the trolley bus with respect to the said main trolley wires, means to energize the other coil of said mechanism to move said tongue in the other direction, and'means to move the other tongue simultaneously withsaid one tongue.

3. A double conductor trolley system for a vehicle provided with a pair of current collectors comprising main conductors, branch conductors,

and'a pair of switches at the intersection of said main and said branch conductors, each of said switches having a movable guide for being moved to position to direct said current collectors either along said main conductors or from said main to said branch conductors, electrically operated mechanism for. moving said guides to one operative position, means including contact devices positioned adjacent said main conductors so as to be electrically connected to their respective conductors by passage of said current collectors therealong for actuating said mechanism, the position of said contact devices relative to one another longitudinally of said conductors and the connection between said devicesand said electrically operated mechanism being such that said mechanism will be actuated to move said guides to said one operative position only when the current collectors of the vehicle are in a predetermined position longitudinally of the main conductors relative to one another and to said contact devices as the collectors pass said contact devices, said longitudinal position of the current collectors varying with the angularity of the vehicle with respect to said main conductors, and

means for moving said guides to said other operative :position.

4. A double conductor trolley system fora vehicle provided with a pair of current collectors comprising main conductors, branch conductors, and a pair of switches at the intersection of-said main and said branch conductors, each of said switches having a movable guide for being moved to'position to direct said current collectors either along said main conductors or from said main to said branch conductors, electrically operated mechanism for moving said guides to either operative position, means including contact devices positioned adjacent the main conductors so asto be electrically connected to their respective conductors by passage of said current collectors therealong for actuating said mechanism, the position of said contact devices relative to one another longitudinally of said conductors and the connection between said devices and said electrically operated mechanism being such that said mechanism will be actuated to move said guides to one operative position only when the current collectors of the vehicle are in a predetermined position longitudinally of the main conductors relative to one another and to said contact devices as the collectors pass said contact devices, said longitudinal position of the current collectors varying with the 'angularity of the vehicle with respect to said main conductors, and means to actuate said electrically operated mechanism to move said guides to said other operative position.

5. A switching system for guiding current collectors having, in combination, a pair of main trolley-wires of opposite polarity, and a branch wire for each main wire; a moving vehicle; a pair of current collectors, mounted on the said vehicle, collecting motive power for the said vehicle from the said power lines; a trolley frog in each main wire, each frog having an element movable to either of two positions to provide the guiding means for collectors moving therethrough; electrically operated mechanism for one of said elements, said mechanism including an operating coil, which, when energized, positions the said one element to guide a collector along its main wire, and another operating coil, which, when energized, positions the said one element to guide a collector on to its branch wire; a contact device located adjacent each main trolley wire in a predetermined position relative to one another longitudinally of the main trolley-wires and in advance of its respective frog, each device being constructed and arranged so as to be actuated by the passage of a current collector along its respective trolley wire; means, operated by the selective actuation of said devices, to energize selectively the said operating coils, the said selective actuation being provided solely by the relative longitudinal positioning of the current collectors, one to another and to the contact devices, as the collectors actuate the said devices, the said longitudinal positioning of the current collectors varying with the angularity of the vehicle with respect to the said main trolley wires; and means, operating substantially simultaneously with the positioning of the said one element, positioning the other element to guide correspondingly the other collector along its main or on to its branch wire.

6. A double conductor trolley system for a vehicle provided with a pair of current collectors comprising main conductors, branch conductors, and a pair of switches at the intersection of said main and branch conductors, each of said switches having a movable guide for being moved to position to direct said current collectors either along said main conductors or from said main to said branch conductors, electrically operated mechanism for moving said guides to either operative position, means including contact devices positioned adjacent the main conductors so as to be electrically connected to their respective conductors by passage of said current collectors therealong for actuating said mechanism, the position of said contact devices relative to one another longitudinally of said conductors and the connections between the said devices and said electrically operated mechanism being such that said mechanism will be actuated to move said guides to one operative position only when the current collectors of the vehicle are in a predetermined position longitudinally of the main conductors relative to one another and to said contact devices as the collectors pass said contact devices, and said electrically operated mechanism will also be actuated to move said guides to their other operative position only when the current collectors of the vehicle are in another predetermined position longitudinally of the main conductors relative to one another and to said contact devices, said longitudinal position of the current collectors varying with the angularity of the vehicle with respect to said main conductors.

7. A switching system for guiding current collectors having, in combination, a pair of main trolley wires of opposite polarity, and a branch wire for each main wire; a moving vehicle; a pair of current collectors, mounted on said vehicle, collecting motive power for the said vehicle from the said power lines; a trolley frog in each main wire, each frog having an element movable to either of two positions to provide the guiding means for collectors moving therethrough; electrically operated mechanism for moving said guides to either operative position, said mechanism including operating coils which when selectively energized positions the said elements to guide the current collector along the main wire or on to the branch wire, a contact device associated with each main wire in predetermined position relative to one another longitudinally of the trolley wires and in advance of its respective frog, each contact device being constructed and arranged so as to be energized by the passage of a current collector along its respective trolley wires; means actuated by the selective energization of said devices to energize selectively the said operating coils, the said selective energization being provided solely by the relative longitudinal positioning of the current collectors, one to another and to the contact devices as the collectors energize the said devices, the said longitudinal positioning of the current collectors varying with the angularity of the vehicle with respect to the said main trolley wires.

8. A double conductor trolley system for a vehicle provided with a pair of current collectors comprising main conductors, branch conductors and a pair of switches at the intersection of said main and said branch conductors, each of said switches having a movable guide for being moved to position to direct said current collectors either along said main conductors or from said main to said branch conductors, electrically operated mechanism for moving one of said guides to one operative position, means including contact devices positioned adjacent said main conductors so as to be electrically connected to their respective conductors by passage of said current collectors therealong for actuating said mechanism, the position of said contact devices relative to one another longitudinally of said conductors and the connection between said devices and said electrically operated mechanism being such that said mechanism will be actuated to move said guide to said one operative position only when the current collectors of the vehicle are in a predetermined position longitudinally of the main conductors relative to one another and to said contact devices as the collectors pass said contact devices, said longitudinal position of the current collectors varying with the angularity of the vehicle with respect to said main conductors, means for moving said guide to said other operative position, and means for causing substantially simultaneous movement of both guides of said pair of switches.

9. A double conductor trolley system for a vehicle provided with a pair of current collectors comprising main conductors, branch conductors and a pair of switches at the intersection of said main and said branch conductors, each of said switches having a movable guide for being moved to position to direct said current collectors either along said main conductors or from said main to said branch conductors, electrically operated mechanism for one of said guides including an operating coil for moving said guide to one operative position, means for energizing said coil to move said guide comprising contact devices elec trically connected to said coil and located adjacent the main conductors so as to be electrically connected to their respective conductors by the passage of said current collectors therealong, the position of said contact devices relative to one another longitudinally of said conductors being such that said mechanism will be actuated to move said guide to one operative position only when the current collectors of the vehicle are in a predetermined position longitudinally of the main conductors relative to one another as the collectors pass said contact devices, said longitu dinal position of the current collectors varying with the angularity of the vehicle with respect to said main conductors, means for moving said guide to said other operative position, and means for causing substantially simultaneous movement of both guides of said pair of switches.

BERTHA BELLE HOLDEN. Executria: of the Estate of Richard Roy Holden,

Deceased. 

